DAIRY PRODUCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11123, 24 July 1907, Page 2

DAIRY PRODUCE.

A FALLING OFF IN QUALITY. (Special to Herald.) WELLINGTON, this day. r An interesting light on the present con. a dition at the New Zealand produce trade o was thrown by speakers at a deputation t to Mr McNab from the dairy section of I th e Chamber of Commerce this morning, t which urged that the Dairy Commissioner, t Mr Cuddie, be the person selected to re- i present the Department at Home. Mr Harkness said n© had received a lettei} ] from a London firm, stating there were { serious complaints about the falling off i in quality of New Zealand butter. Fishi. , ness had been general. Many firms had j purchases analysed for moisture, arodsome i of the (best brands had shown 15 per cent. It was a great pity efforts had been made ] to get as (much moisture as possible into : ] the butter in New Zealand. It was en- ' daggering tlie reputation of New Zealand butter. In one case the degree of moisture was -found to be 28 per cent. The correspondent wonted to know hdw such butter was ever allowed to leave the colony. Those were some of the' conditions the Dairy Commissioner himself should become acquainted with. Other speakers said they had repeated complaints from London firms that New Zealand butter this year was much below the usual qualityr The Minister said no appointment had yet been made. He would appoint no one without Mr Ouddie's recommendation. He also said he would liave experiments made of the cool curing of cheese. I l'he above statements are confirmed by a letter from Mr W. W. Corpe," for many years proprietor of the Makino butter: (factory, says the Feilding Star. Mr Cor^e, , who is visiting England, says:— -I visited one large wholesale firm in -London who deal largely in colonial butter j and who. very kindly gave me every: opportunity of sampling the produce. lie first, I sampled was anything but colon in flavor, and a long way too much moisture showing on the iron. This was, tlie merchant informed ihe, ' a lot of butter they .had purchased, (being marked by the Government grader as first, grade, without -sampling, and had keen badly taken in. I sampled three different dates of this make and found it all' the same, and I have no hesitation in saying ; tliis should have been graded second-classy this bore a wellknown brand. I believe the cause of its bad flavor is due to dirty, milking or home separation and excess of moisture. Another brand I sampled was better in flavor arid texture, but not first-class, arid the merchant inforihed me this, brand -had very fine until this year, showing excess of moisture, which, to my mind, wag the cause of its inferior flavor. I am much atfiraid tliat as New Zealand; butter, having such a good name in previous years for its dryness, showing an average of about 10 per cent, of moisture, through covetousnese, the managers of factories, hoth of co-operative and private factories, thinking a larger overrun could do the butter no harm, have not worked but: the moisture as heretofore,' and the graders are getting more easy in this respect, for isvbilst 6ome of the factories are still excellent, a large number are on the: down-grade; and I desire to sound, a note odf warning in time, arid it would be regrettable for the dairy peopleto live in a fool's paradise, as Siberian butter is increasing enormously, both in quantity and quality. . I sampled some first grade, three samples of Siberian butter in Lon. don,. which tyas very fine. both in flavor, and texture, and showing a very dry quality. ■■'This butter is put up in 1001b casks, which is. objectionable ; rib doubt this will soon be altered. • I am much afraid that unless New Zealand ', is more careful as to moisture, clean milking, and home separation, our butter will be wiped out of existence, which is my excuse for sounding this note of warning.